The state of the SUP Industry: Valuable Insights with George Shillito from Red Equipment

The stand up paddling industry has seen many ups and downs over the last decade. From the rise of SUP racing, to the explosive sales of recreational boards during COVID… to now quite a stagnant economy, Red Equipment has seen many of these significant events first hand. That’s why today at TotalSUP, we had the privilege to sit down with George Shillito to get his opinion on the state of the SUP industry currently. We learned an immense amount chatting with him, and we hope you do too!

Hi George! Thanks for coming back to TotalSUP today, and for sharing your thoughts on the state of the SUP industry so far! How would you describe the overall growth trajectory of the stand-up paddling industry over the past few years?

This is an interesting one. Depending on your viewpoint, you will most likely get very different answers to this question. If you ask ChatGPT the answer – “SUP is going through a post-pandemic surge due to accessibility, diversification and product innovation”. Looking at overall sales I’d say there isn’t much to argue there. However, to properly answer this question we also need to consider what/who the ‘industry’ is. If you talk to the endemic industry, and by that I mean SUP retailer, agent, distributor, media outlet, professional, designer or brand, then they would most likely tell you a different story. A story in which supply and demand has become a fine art in an ever-shifting landscape as the ‘industry’ changes with performance and passion pitted against convenience and commodity. These things aren’t mutually exclusive and actually complement each other. At Red we work closely with our network to ensure optimum stock holding, model availability and forecasting to ensure products are readily available.

Wow, that is fascinating! We’re glad you work closely with your network at Red to make sure that you have products readily available in an ever-changing environment. What are the biggest positives or recent innovations you’ve seen in the stand-up paddling market?

The biggest positive is the development to move away from unnecessary waste and more towards recyclability. Despite working with leading experts and universities across the globe there is still no way to recycle a inflatable paddle board. SUP can deliver so many positives to so many people but the message of sustainability and recoverability has always lagged behind industry sales. This is gradually changing – especially at the performance end of the market and in packaging. At Red we are a certified B Corp company which means we have been independently assessed to deliver the most sustainable and responsible practices. We work in our own private production facility to ensure product quality matches up to our standards of performance.

That’s fantastic! Conversely, what are some of the main challenges the industry is currently facing?

Challenges are good – they create questions that require an answer. There are plenty out there so I’ll give two – one challenging the internal network, another challenging all paddlers. One of the biggest right now for the industry is not the most obvious but the fluctuations in demand have played havoc with supply chains. An inflatable paddle board is not a single product but comprised of many products – the board, pump, leash, bag, paddle and fin. All of these feature components from various suppliers and manufacturers. Therefore any changes to the supply chain can have a large ripple effect on the industry, pricing and competition. When you add in increasing costs of materials, work force and duties there is critical balance between quality, price and performance that can’t be compromised.

Secondly, the challenge that faces us all and one the TotalSUP audience play a vital role in, is how we facilitate, enable and inspire customers to go from owning a paddle board to being a paddler boarder. If you are reading this article then you are most likely a paddleboarder – you treat SUP as a sport. Your board is more than a recreational toy but a vehicle to explore and improve on. There is a huge group of paddlers that treat SUP as a sport. There is an even bigger cohort that own a board but are yet to explore the opportunities, events and benefits SUP can offer. It is an exciting proposition for us to nurture and develop!

We couldn’t agree with you more George, and at TotalSUP we definitely want to continue inspiring others to become paddle boarders! Shifting gears a bit, how has consumer demand shifted in terms of product types, materials, or features?

When the industry first started making race boards, the planned use case for this was for an experienced paddler to go out and win races on. In hindsight this use case was a fairly limited view on what racing could be. The rise of long distance and mass participation experiences/events is guiding development and allowing the benefits to propagate to beginners through product performance at Red. To put it another way, the number of people who say they enter a running race every year pales against those who enter a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K or Park run. They are all running races, but people don’t see themselves as racers but rather do these things for personal bests and to challenge themselves. For these challenge-style events paddlers want to know they have kit that won’t hold them back. This shift in participation is what led us to develop MSL800 material across our range of Future Series boards to deliver total stiffness and speed. In fact the entire Future Series range was developed based on providing paddlers a performance pathway to better enable them to get more from their board no matter if they are a beginner or experienced paddler.

We love the Future Range from Red! It’s incredible to know the foundations behind it’s development. You mentioned earlier that Red is a B-Corp! Could you further expand on what role has sustainability and environmental considerations played in the development of new stand-up paddling equipment?

This is a huge topic and one we at Red are always working on to ensure we are always improving. The development of our globally patented Compact board came from the brief to reduce the carbon footprint of a board, designed for disassembly is at the heart of all our product design to ensure parts can be replaced and recycled. Compliance, legislations, governance, social ethics are all a moving feat and B Corp makes sure we always have this at the heart of everything we do. We believe life’s better by the water so test all products extensively in the harsh water environments for which they are designed for.

Amazing! Thank you for sharing your environmental efforts at Red! How has the industry adapted to changing regulations or safety standards?

Not to put a finer point on it but in the world of SUP there aren’t any. It is why researching the board and brand you are buying from is so important as there is no legislation or standards on how inflatable boards are made and tested. That said, there is increasing material and chemical legislation from global governments to remove toxins and forever chemicals from production and products. This is fantastic news as avoids harmful substances being used in production, avoids contact when using the product and subsequently stops it going to landfill come the end of product life. At Red we have always worked with a private lab to test and check that all our materials are not only compliant but ahead of legislation and leading the change.

It has also been great to see the rise in governing authorities owning the safety space to develop relevant and critical lifesaving messaging and training. Many years ago, Red developed P.L.O.T (your paddle) as open source files for companies and brands to use across their products and marketing. It by no means covers all scenarios but acts as a basic tool to remind paddlers of how to stay safe on the water: P: PFD – always where a buoyancy aid L: Leash – make sure you wear the right leash for the right conditions. O: Offshore winds and obstacles – Always avoid offshore winds and give obstacles a wide berth T: Telephone – take a form of communication device in case of emergency.

P.L.O.T. is great! We are going to share that with everyone! What impact has the rise of online retail and social media had on consumer engagement and brand visibility in this industry?

Paddle boarding is a social activity. It is one of the greatest attractions of the sport, you can very quickly get to a level where you can paddle along with friends and family in completely unspoilt locations. Social media has allowed this side of the sport to flourish with paddlers able to better connect and share experiences from across the world. The Red Paddle Owners Group is a great example of this which (unbeknown to us here at Red) a customer called Jules set up a Facebook group many years ago with the simple idea to meet more paddlers and find more paddling spots. What started as a single desire has since grown into a global community of paddlers sharing their experiences, discussing events, challenges and kit advice.

Are there notable regional differences or emerging markets that show promise for stand-up paddling growth?

The largest change in recent months is in the US with changes in duties and taxes leading to a level of uncertainty within retailers. We have been able to navigate this without any price increase and work with our network of retailers alongside our main brand site to deliver expert, local support to ensure we can provide the very best advice and gear.

Photo: Jimmy Martinello Photography

What do you see as the biggest opportunities for brands like Red Equipment in the next 3-5 years?

I’m afraid that is very much under lock and key from a brand level. As an industry I am excited to see the changes to come as a result of changes in compliance and legislation. It invites us to continue to develop new materials and processes to ensure we are constantly bettering both the product performance but also impact on the planet.

Photo Credit: Jimmy Martinello Photograhy

That sounds exciting! We can’t wait to see what happens in the future for Red! Last question before we let you go for today, how does Red Equipment stay ahead of trends and ensure its product lineup meets both current and future customer needs?

By doing the thing we are asking of our customers. As the paddle board industry has changed and grown it has attracted the interest of those looking to ride the trend. Many of these people have never set foot on a SUP let alone competed in endurance events, spent countless nights under the stars on SUP expeditions, hiked to mountain lakes, experienced a glassy dawn surf or smashed their way down rapids. It is in doing the sport and embracing the experience where we find the passion and desire to constantly develop and strive for better. Red is not just the product we make but an extension of the values and beliefs of the people who work here. It is a vehicle for change and a voice for those who love the sport. So while sometimes when designing a brand new innovation or product it feels like rocket science, in-fact it boils down to doing the thing we love that allows us to stay ahead and on the front foot.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the state of the SUP industry with us George! We really appreciate your time and your insights!

Learn more about the Red Equipment here
Find out more about Red Equipment at red-equipment.co.uk
Follow Red Equipment on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube